


Cloudburst

by lysanatt



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-20
Updated: 2013-10-20
Packaged: 2017-12-29 23:25:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1011327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lysanatt/pseuds/lysanatt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting caught in a rainstorm, losing his phone, and nosediving his new Dodge Charger into a ditch? That's only the beginning when Sam's world is turned upside down. AU romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cloudburst

**Author's Note:**

> For Sabriel Sunday and theknottyknitter who asked for "farmhand!Gabriel and law student!Sam getting caught in the rain and then having sex in a barn".

**Cloudburst**

Sam knew he shouldn't have taken the Charger out in the rain. The sudden downpour was beginning to resemble a flood. The road was a silver line of water and gray heaven, the horizon invisible. The weather had been fine when he headed out; his first day off in far too long. Sam urged the Charger forward, but she replied with a sick coughing sound.

"No, no, no, girl! Don't do that to me!" Despair crept up on him. Dean was hundred miles away and, Sam realized, so was the nearest house. The area was remote and it had been some time since Sam had seen a farm or a house. The Charger made yet another weak cough before the big block V8 decided to keep on trucking. Maybe it was water in the carburetor, or a dead battery, or an oil leak. Or possibly the Spanish Inquisition or a sun storm, Sam didn't know. He knew how to fill his new, old car up, and he knew how to check the oil. He know how to change the tires, which sort of exhausted his abilities as a mechanic. So, more importantly, he knew how to bribe Dean to do everything else to keep the Dodge running. 

Fumbling for his phone, Sam felt something cold and wet on his feet. A stream of cold rain water had found its way through the floor, so maybe it was the motor that was drowning? 

"Dean," Sam cried into the phone, when his brother took it. "I'm somewhere in the middle of Assbut, Kansas, and the stupid Charger is dying." The rain ra-ta-taed so hard against the Dodge's roof that Sam could hardly hear himself, and Dean not at all. 

"You - dry - up - over!" was Dean's solution, torn into pieces by distance and a bad signal. 

Sam got the gist of it, though. Yeah, find somewhere dry. Not exactly easy. He tried to steer the car around the puddles on the road, more lakes than puddles, though. "What the fuck do I do if the motor gives up?" he asked. "I'm in the middle of a frigging flood and Noah forgot to send the ark!" He never heard the answer. A pothole made the Charger bottom out, the springs creaking dangerously as the chassis hit the edge of the hole. Sam's teeth clattered as the impact threw him half way off the seat. The car slid towards the left side of the road. The motor coughed once more, before it went silent. Sam threw the phone down, trying to get the car back on the blacktop. He managed to keep her on the road, braking carefully. She stopped, abruptly, when the brakes finally took. The impact yanked Sam forwards, the seat belt stopping him before he slammed into the wheel. The phone, however, was not as lucky. It was thrust into the front panel and slid down the seat, into the cold water pooling on the floor. 

"Fuck!" Sam slammed a hand into the wheel. Lost in a flood, and nowhere to go. With a stupid car with a stupid motor—and a dead phone. Sam looked at the drowning iPhone on the floor. He picked it up. It was dripping. Not a chance it'd work. He threw the phone into the glove compartment angrily. This was the instant he regretted having used his first salary from the District Attorney's office to buy this piece of crap. Sam had dreamt of owning one like her, a Charger 500 Rally, but today it felt like madness, driving a car made more than forty years ago. Dodge certainly hadn't done much waterproofing on their racing wonder.

Taking a deep breath, Sam braced himself. He turned the ignition carefully, without much hope it'd respond. The Charger made a hoarse sound and stopped. "Please, _please_ work!" He had to be back at work tomorrow. There was no way he could afford losing a day's work, and definitely not the work in itself. Sam was at his last year at Stanford, and he'd never make it through the semester without the money he'd earn during summer. Without a phone to alert the DA's office he'd be fired before he'd make it back, he was certain.

Giving the Charger another try, the car coughed again, wetly, then decided to go on. The V8 sucked up half a tankful and fell into a steady rr-rr-rr, obviously set on surprising Sam with her compliance. Sam blew out a stream of air, rubbing his face, relieved. "Good girl." Carefully Sam eased her through the deep puddles, hoping that there'd be no more potholes. If at least he could get to a house, so that he could check on the car with Dean on the line, he'd be less worried. 

The rain was merciless. The heavy drops fell harder, and Sam could hardly see anything; the wiper arms waved frantically across the windscreen, to no avail. He took the Charger down a hill, trying to make sense of the gray blur outside the windows. Sam drove the Dodger down slowly, only to discover halfway to the end of the hill that the bottom was flooded entirely with rainwater. There was no chance he could get through it. A dark silhouette of what might have been a tangled mass of overgrown shrubbery that was already under water. Sam decided that it wasn't worth it, getting out to check. He had to turn back, or he'd be stranded.

Squinting out into the rain, trying to find a spot along the road where he could turn the car safely, Sam drove a little bit further down. At the right there was something that looked like a dirt track, only it'd probably be more like a mudslide by now. At least Sam could turn his precious (however currently unloved) car around without ruining her by nosediving her into a ditch. Carefully Sam turned the car down the narrow dirt road, one foot at a time, hoping for the best. The moment the front wheels left the asphalt the car skidded to a halt as she sank into the mud. 

"No! Fucking no!" Sam closed his eyes and leaned back into the seat, clutching at the wheel so hard it creaked. "Crap." There was no way around it: he had to get outside, one way or the other getting the car out of the mud. Sam looked at the rain, then at the useless, thin coat he'd brought. He'd be soaked no matter what. He opened the seat belt and pulled off his shirt, leaving on the undershirt. He considered leaving the jeans, too, but decided against it. 

As he opened the door, he was met with a torrential shower that almost made him flee back into the car. Looking for a spot that wasn't a bottomless pit of cold mud, Sam found a small edge of weed and grasses that ran along the fields on one side of the dirt road. He stepped out onto the piece of relatively dry land which meant that he was standing in a few inches of icy water. The sight of his car wasn't exactly positive. She was in more than knee-deep in mud, so deep that only the upper half of the wheels were visible. "Oh, no." Sam felt very, very tired. "I'm going to swap you for a truck if we survive this," Sam told his car. All right, so he had to find a piece of wood. Or a shovel. Fat chance. Scanning the surroundings, Sam could see a small group of trees a bit further down the road. If he followed the thin ridge he could probably go there without being dragged into hell through a tunnel of mud. The dirt road was turning into a small shallow river, and although Sam didn't think that he'd be in any danger, he didn't want to lose a shoe if he could avoid it.

The torrential rain and the strong storm made it hard to walk. Sam bent his head against the hard wind as he fought his way towards the threes. He paused as a particularly nasty squall threatened to make him step into the nasty mess of mud. He looked up, trying to determine how far away the trees were.

That was when he saw it between the trees--something man-made. Red. A barn, perhaps. Maybe there was a farm down there. Sam brushed back his soaked hair, and picked up pace, going as fast as he could without actually running, fighting the harsh wind. As he reached the trees he realized that he wasn't that lucky. No farm, just a barn. It looked old, but it wasn't in disrepair. If nothing else, maybe there were tools that Sam could borrow to dig out his car. 

"Hello?" Sam pushed open the barn doors, and they swung lightly on the hinges without making a sound. Perhaps the hinges had recently been greased. "Hello?" Sam called again, stepping into the dimly lit barn. It smelled of hay and horses, spicy and sweet at the same time. Sam held his breath, listening for a reply. In the far end of the barn, something moved. A horse—at least it looked like a horse—stuck its head over the side of a stall, snorting inquisitively.

"Hello, anyone here?" At least the horse indicated that there were humans somewhere nearby. 

The rain almost drowned out the sound when a rustle behind him made Sam whip around, more surprised than scared. 

"Well, hello there, gorgeous." A guy was perching on a pile of hay bales just inside the barn doors. He was wrapped in a plaid sheet, one which he threw on the bales as he jumped down. "You got a car out there?"

"Drove her into a pile of mud. She's in to the neck. Or at least to the axles. I was looking for something... a shovel, or...." Sam realized that he was being rude. "I'm sorry for trespassing. My name is Sam. Sam Winchester. From Lawrence." Sam held out his dripping hand. "Sorry, I'm wet."

"And I'm Gabriel. From around the corner. And that seems to be how things are today. Wet. Soaked, to be precise." Gabriel sent Sam a wide smile. "If you wanna share the blankets I'm all yours." 

The appreciative look that Gabriel threw Sam didn't go unnoticed. Gabriel was checking him out, Sam wasn't in doubt. Sam might or might not have sent the guy a similar look. Despite being small, the guy looked strong. Sam appreciated well-developed biceps as much as the next guy. Providing that the next guy was as gay as Sam. Which he might be, Sam realized, seeing how this Gabriel looked at him. Sam ignored it. "Erm, thanks. You don't by any chance have a phone on you?"

"Lousy signal out here. Don't usually take my cell with me." Gabriel pointed over his shoulder. "Got a landline two miles down the road. It's all yours—if you can swim and it works. The phones here are crap when we're flooded. I tried to get through to the farm on horseback, but no luck. Not gonna risk Sleipnir for a phone call."

"Sleipnir?" Oh, the horse. Sam looked at the small horse. "No, I can understand that."

"When it stops raining the water will be gone in half a day. This isn't my first rodeo; that's why we have a barn up here by the road. We get flooded a few times each year; the perks of having a farm seated in the nicest valley in Eden, Kansas. So relax, baby. We can't pull your car up before I can drive a tractor up the road anyway."

"Damn." Sam frowned. "I'm going to lose my job if I'm not back tomorrow."

"There, there." Gabriel patted Sam reassuringly on the shoulder. "Being stranded in a flood tends to evoke a modicum of sympathy, even in the meanest of employers."

"I'm with the District Attorney's office. I'm not sure-"

"In Lawrence?" Gabriel beamed. "Not a problem. Relax. The guy I work for? His brother once worked at the county's health department; he knows everybody there; he'll vouch for you."

"Not your farm, then? You're-" Sam tried to relax, there was nothing he could do about the situation. He could go sit in his stranded car, or he could stay here; at least he'd have company and relatively quick access to a phone. He was better off than sitting in the car without food or water. 

"The farm hand. Yeah. More of a drifter, though, to be honest. I've worked here for a couple of years; the food's good and the pay isn't too bad, either." Gabriel shrugged. "So you're one of those fancy city lawyers?"

"No, Law student. I'm to start my final year on Stanford."

Gabriel nodded, obviously not impressed with lawyers in general. "Okay, then, hotshot. Enough with the small talk. You want coffee and a warm blanket? Before you catch a cold."

"I'm not catching a cold unless you have one. Viral-"

Gabriel looked at Sam when he started his lecture, then laughed loudly, interrupting Sam's argument. "God, you're cute. It was just an excuse to get you to cuddle up with me. But if you'd rather discuss viral infectious diseases and their properties, I'll be happy to let you explain to me how the human ICAM-1 receptors trigger the release of inflammatory mediators in naso- and rhinopharyngitis. I mean, if you have nothing else to do, like drinking coffee and get all hot under the covers with me." Gabriel smirked and sent Sam a wink that did little to remove the feeling of speechlessness that hit Sam that instant. 

"Erm," Sam said, baffled by Gabriel's tutorial, and by his cheek. This was a bit beyond Sam's experience level. Oh, he'd seen Dean in action, trying to get into the pants of whoever had a pulse. But this? Gabriel surely couldn't be serious? 

"Coffee first, or cuddling?" Gabriel reached for Sam's arm, sliding a finger over damp skin all the way down to Sam's hand. 

Sam shivered, both wanting and not wanting to jerk his hand out of Gabriel's grip. "What the hell? What makes you sure that I'd-"

Wriggling his eyebrow, Gabriel looked far too smug."Maybe the way you checked me out when you came in. Come on, baby, we have at least a day before we can get out of here; let's have some fun. You're too hot to let go." Gabriel entangled his fingers with Sam's. "You're leaving tomorrow, and I'm gone next year. Nobody will ever know." Gabriel pulled gently. "Live a little, kiddo."

"This is insane," Sam protested. "You can't just hit on someone like that, when they are asking you for help."

"I think you mean 'shouldn't'," Gabriel said, taking a step forward, stepping into, further into, Sam's comfort zone. "Never was much for rules. I'd make a crap lawyer. I'm more a people person." 

Sam couldn't help laughing. Gabriel was, despite living in the obvious delusion that he was irresistible, irresistible and his switchblade attitude strangely endearing. "You're insane."

Still holding Sam's hand Gabriel put his other hand on Sam's chest. "Nope, kiddo. But I'd like to drive _you_ mad. Make you forget the rain and the car and anything but pleasure."

Sam took another step back, unable to decide whether he wanted to flee from the place, or stay. He studied Gabriel for seconds, his face revealing nothing about his thoughts. Somehow the farmhand should be unassuming and bland. Dressed casually in jeans and a plaid shirt, hair dull brown, Sam really shouldn't find him interesting. Usually Sam fell for tall and professional. Only Gabriel wasn't boring or bland. He had sharp eyes, almost hawk-like. He personality was made from equal parts mercury and fire, and Sam _was_ interested; he'd be lying if he said otherwise. Not that he needed to act on it, however, he'd never been one for casual relationships. But these were extraordinary circumstances, being stranded. Sam felt as if a little slice of boring reality had been cut out of his busy everyday life and handed back to him, turned into a piece of something unexpectedly delicious and tasty. It was as if he suddenly felt free to do something he'd never done, had he not stranded himself here, outside reality and the ordinary.

"Okay," Sam said hoarsely, feeling as if he'd just stepped over the edge to a bottomless abyss. "Okay."

"Thought you'd see it my way, baby." Gabriel purred and pulled Sam into a coffee-tasting kiss. It was tentative at first, until Sam sighed into the kiss, relaxing in Gabriel's arms. Gabriel clearly saw it as his carte blanche to do what he wished with Sam. For a long time, long enough to make Sam breathless and hard, Gabriel took what he wanted. With wet, demanding thrusts of his tongue he soon made Sam unable to think or breathe. Outside, the cold rain continued, but Gabriel's exploring hands, clutching at Sam's hair, sliding down his sides, cupping his ass... oh, Sam had no problem keeping warm. 

"Come on, gorgeous, let's get into bed," Gabriel murmured, licking down Sam's neck, leaving a line of small love bites in the wake of his mouth. "Or _up_." Gabriel let go, pointing to the small nest he'd made on top of the big bales.

*

They made it underneath the covers. Stretched out under Gabriel, Sam pulled the blankets over them, keeping out the cold, damp air. The blankets were sweet-smelling, horse-and-hay-scented. Gabriel pulled his plaid shirt off, batting Sam's hands away as he attempted to strip off his own wet undershirt.

"Bossy much?" Sam groaned as Gabriel sucked his earlobe, the exact spot that made Sam melt. "Shit, Gabriel..." Sam moaned deeply, surrendering entirely to Gabriel's will. Sam lay back against the soft hay and the woolen blanket that covered it. Sam couldn't help himself, but arched up, rubbing his hard dick against Gabriel's. 

Gabriel's hand slid between Sam's legs, the heel of his hand pressed against Sam's erection. Sam made an undignified sound, squirming, opening his legs. This might be the worst decision he'd ever made, having casual sex with a stranger, but Gabriel was hot, and right that instant Sam didn't care. "Please!"

"Yeah, spread your legs for me, big boy," Gabriel growled, pulling at Sam's pants. "Fuck, I need to get these off you. I want your cock, baby."

"I don't have any- oh- lube" Sam mewled as Gabriel stuck his hand down his boxer briefs. "No condoms or-"

"Other ways to have fun." Gabriel got up on his knees and moved down a bit, unceremoniously pulling Sam's cock out from his pants. "And this is one of them." Hungrily he bent down and slid his tongue around the head of Sam's cock before he sucked the tip of it lightly.

"Fuck!" Sam cried. "A bit of warning here?"

"What would be the fun of that?" Gabriel murmured in between licks, busy stuffing his mouth with Sam's big cock. "When it's so delicious making you squirm." He swallowed Sam down once more, humming and teasing as he did so. 

Sam merely let out a sob, thrusting in between Gabriel's lips, clutching at the blankets as not to come like a teenager into the slick heat of Gabriel's mouth. Gabriel continued his teasing. Alternating between sucking Sam down, and licking lightly at Sam's dick he was driving Sam crazy with need. It had been far too long since Sam had been with a man, but Gabriel clearly had expertise above the ordinary, because he held Sam on the brink of orgasm for what felt like hours. Sam was a mess when Gabriel finally let go. Gasping Sam just lay there, the heat of pleasure and the dull sound of his rapidly beating heart contrasting the rain-smelling air and the sharp ra-ta-ta of the heavy showers. 

"Come here, baby," Gabriel urged, straddling Sam so he could bend down and kiss him hotly. His mouth tasted of semen now, and Sam wrapped his arms around Gabriel, unwilling to let go. The kisses and Gabriel's light rubbing against Sam's rock-hard dick made his lust flare wildly. Sam's hand slid down to Gabriel's hips, pulling Gabriel forward, hard. 

"Your cock," Sam demanded. "I want it." It didn't matter that it didn't make sense. They couldn't fuck, although Sam would willingly give it a try if they'd had a condom. Sadly, they didn't. "I want you to rub them together," Sam said, undulating his hips. "Wanna come all over your cock. Want to see you come."

"So my fine lawyer has a dirty mouth? Good!" Gabriel was far too much in control and too collected. Sam didn't like it, he'd much rather have Gabriel coming apart, moaning and begging. 

"Mmm," Sam moaned, licking his lips deliberately as he looked up at Gabriel. "I'm to become a lawyer because I _do_ have a mouth and I know how to use it." Sam looked at Gabriel through heavy-lidded eyes. "Maybe I'd like your cock in it, so that I can suck you off. You know, make you moan my name when I tease your slit. Make you fuck my mouth hard when I have a finger deep in your tight ass."

Chuckling, Gabriel shoved down his own pants. "Show me what you've got, kiddo! You've got my expectations all up, so it better be good."

"Not the only thing that's up," Sam said as he pushed off from the covers, flipping Gabriel over, handling both him and his pants less than gently. He tore at the damp denim that refused to let go of Gabriel's narrow hips easily. Patience wasn't really Sam's thing right that instant. "Help me out here."

"Amateur," Gabriel teased, wriggling to get the last of his clothes off. He looked very, very nice naked. Not to thin, and with defined muscles in all the right places. Sam took a moment to enjoy the view before he kneeled between Gabriel's legs, one hand on each side of his hips. He leaned forward, slowly licking his way from Gabriel's balls to the tip of his cock. 

Gabriel groaned and buried his fingers in Sam's hair. "Friggin' tease!"

Obviously Gabriel knew what he was talking about, being annoyingly teasing himself. Sam smirked, looking up at Gabriel as he lapped at the cockhead, barely enough to touch.

Mewling in frustration, Gabriel pulled Sam's hair. "All talk and no action? You should put that dirty mouth of yours into action, boy-o." Gabriel slid a finger over Sam's lips and Sam licked at it, sucking it in between his lips, letting his tongue play with it for a moment. "Evil," Gabriel groaned, slightly incoherent. "Should have known."

Sam decided to show some mercy and returned to his previous task. He let go of Gabriel's finger and encased Gabriel's cock in his hand, jerking it languidly before bent down to swallow down as much of it as he possibly could. Gabriel made a very satisfying moan as Sam started sucking and licking, enjoying the sensation of silken skin and the unsavory, but oh so delicious taste of Gabriel's pre-come. Under him Gabriel whimpered, trying to get his dick deeper into Sam's mouth while making the most arousing noises. 

Smiling around the dick in his mouth, Sam did the best he could, truly enjoying getting back at Gabriel for his cheek. It was exhilarating to make Gabriel come apart like that. Gabriel wasn't as controlled as he'd like to appear, because it didn't take long before Sam had him begging. 

"Sam... God, please, fuck... Oh! Stop, I'm gonna... fuck!" Gabriel squirmed, this time trying to pull Sam off. "Wait, fuck, too much!"

Pulling back to give Gabriel reprieve, Sam smirked. "Now who's got a mouth on him?" he growled, hands roving down Gabriel's muscular thighs, back to cup Gabriel's balls none too gently. 

"You're gonna kill me," Gabriel hissed. "Can't let you have the upper hand, clearly!" Swiftly he was up, yanking Sam around. Sam was on his back, Gabriel on top of him before he knew it, Gabriel's thighs squeezing his hips tightly. "Now lie there and take it, big boy, because I'm going to make you come so hard that-"

Gabriel shut his mouth, cutting off whatever it was that he was saying when Sam locked eyes with him. Sam stuck a finger in his own mouth, licking it suggestively. . "Yeah, why don't you?" Sam urged. He reached behind Gabriel with saliva-slick fingers, rubbing over his hole. It twitched, Gabriel's body unable to suppress how eager he was. "So?" Sam said, mock arrogant. "Are we getting to the good stuff?"

"Oh, I'm gonna jerk that cheek out of you," Gabriel threatened, undulating his hips as if to drive Sam's finger inside himself. Sam just chuckled. He, too, was cut short as Gabriel slid his damp cock along Sam's, closing his hand around both of them, rubbing their cocks together. 

Sam didn't know he was able to make a sound as pathetic as the one he made as Gabriel moved his hand up and down his dick. Gabriel was good at what he did; long, sure strokes pushing them both towards the inevitable. Sam closed his eyes, biting his lip, trying to hold back just a little longer, but he was too aroused. The experienced strokes, the hotness of having sex with a total stranger, Gabriel's apparent attractiveness... it all became too much.

It was a cloudburst of pleasure. As his orgasm thundered through his body, electricity flaring, Sam cried out, head thrown back and eyes wide. He couldn't stop himself from looking at Gabriel, caught in the flood of passion, drowning in bliss as he came, heavy splashes of come pouring over both their cocks and stomachs. Breathlessly, Sam held himself up, fighting for air. Gabriel lay limply, his chest heaving as he, too, relearned the joy of enough oxygen. 

"If this is how it's gonna be, being caught in a flood, I mean... I'm going to take a drive every time the weather report even mentions that there will be light showers," Sam said and let out a content sigh, still breathing heavily. 

"Next time, remember the umbrella." Gabriel chuckled. "Condoms and lube, dude. Not that this wasn't great, but you know... I'd not be adverse to fuck you through any mattress available to us."

"Pervert," Sam chided, and let himself be wrapped up in Gabriel's messy embrace. Attempting to clean them up a bit with the corner of a muddy horse blanket, Gabriel refused to let go of Sam, not that Sam had anything against some naked cuddling underneath the pile of heavy wool. 

"Not too bad for a natural disaster," Gabriel murmured, nuzzling Sam's neck. "So a bit of rest and coffee—I do have a thermos down there—and then on to round two?"

Sam had no problems with that plan, nor did he have any problems with round three. Round four was slow and loving, a long exploration of bodies and possibilities. 

The rain died at midnight, and so did their most of their stamina. Round five, however, close to sunrise, had Sam worn out entirely, as if the magic of the rain had disappeared too. It left Sam longing for something unnamed, something he couldn't manage, not now, not here.

*

Morning came, sunny and warm. The air smelled of flowers and damp earth. Sam was alone. He sat up, a little bewildered, blanket around his naked shoulders. Gabriel was gone, and so was the horse. Sam collected his clothes and jumped down from the bales. If he was lucky there was a bucket and some clean water somewhere, so that he could clean up. On bare feet Sam went to look into the stall in which Gabriel had kept his horse. There was a rusty old tub, half full of clear, clean water. Definitely better than muddy rainwater. Sam sacrificed his boxer briefs to use as a washcloth.

Dressed and relatively refreshed, Sam went in search of Gabriel. Outside, the fields were still flooded, but the road was dry—as dry as possible when it had been miles of sticky mud only yesterday. Sam's shoes probably wouldn't survive, but he needed to get out of here, get help, anything that'd get him in contact with Dean and the District Attorney's office as soon as humanly possible. 

Help came in the shape of a dated tractor that grumbled and hissed its way along the dirt road. The tractor was a faded green and red-brown from rust, but Sam thought it was the most beautiful machine he had ever seen. "Thank God," he exclaimed, raising a hand in greeting as Gabriel did the same from afar. It took some time for the old tractor to get through the mud to the barn.

Jumping down from the seat, Gabriel greeted Sam with a smile. "Morning, gorgeous. Phone lines are still down, but I've pulled your Dodge up from her muddy bed and she's waiting for you up on the road. I looked at the motor, and it looks all right, not drowned or anything. Didn't have the ignition key, obviously, so can't know for sure."

"Thanks." Sam gave a relieved sigh. Maybe he wouldn't get fired anyway; he could probably make it back in a few hours if his girl decided to cooperate. "For everything." 

"Welcome," Gabriel said, his eyes narrowing as if he was assessing Sam for one reason or another. It was as if the golden light was dimmed by a deep, heavy sadness. "Come back if the car doesn't start. Otherwise? Get the fuck out before I drag you down to the farm to lock you up so that I can keep you."

Sam smiled and it felt bittersweet. Some send-off. He realized that he'd have liked to stay—or to come back to see Gabriel again. Gabriel was bright, fun, handsome. And he made Sam's heart flutter a little. "Is there gonna- Could we-"

Gabriel put a finger on Sam's lips. "Don't, baby. Not..." He sighed. "I have a job to do, and so have you." Gabriel looked sad, the twinkle in the golden eyes gone. "In another time, another reality, I-" Gabriel got up on tip-toe and kissed Sam softly on the mouth. "I won't forget you. Go away. Before I ruin you."

Sam shouldn't have felt like this, suddenly wanting Gabriel with a deep certainty that Gabriel was _right_ for him. But if Gabriel wasn't playing, then it didn't matter that Gabriel might want him if things were different. As if it meant anything at all. Sam didn't know what was wrong with him. Maybe Gabriel didn't like the lawyer part. Maybe he didn't like _Sam_ , but that wasn't how it had felt. No matter how sad, Sam had to accept Gabriel's decision. He had to walk away from this, dignity still intact. Sam knew it had been _one_ night, a small break in the middle of everyday lives and struggles. There was nothing to remember, nothing that justified _more_. Nothing but attraction and the expression in Gabriel's eyes.

Sam stepped back and nodded. "Thank you. For helping me." Sam knew shouldn't, he needed to let go. But he still cupped Gabriel's cheek gently, stroking it, before he pressed his lips to Gabriel's, kissing him one final time before it was over. Sam wanted to ask, to beg Gabriel to come find him, to find that other time and space where they could meet again, but he didn't. 

It had been good, and Sam needed to accept that all he had was a pleasant memory. Still, he didn't like the odd longing that felt like sadness and need tangled into each other—that he'd prefer to forget.

Sam didn't look back as he walked down the track towards the main road.

*

The forecast had warned for excessive rainfall and the heavy rain that showered the parking lot did little to belie the need for such a warning. Although it was pleasantly warm, it wasn't exactly the epitome of graduation days, but despite the weather Sam was happy. For once, he was happy. He'd done what he'd set out to do, with Dean's help and an iron determination. He had an advanced degree now, and he was more than ready to enter into the stressful world of association and partnerships. After the ceremony Dean had left and Sam had stayed, chatting with his fellow graduates for a while. Dean had offered to host the celebratory dinner, which meant that there would be barbecue, burgers and lots of beer, which was fine with Sam.

Sam stood for a moment in the hall, watching the wind and the rain. He smiled softly, remembering, not for the first time, his night with Gabriel. Hardly a week passed without Sam thinking of him. The one that got away. Although 'the one who wasn't interested' was more like it. Unfortunately. _Another time, another reality,_ Gabriel had said. And that was what Sam had now: a new life. Well-educated and with job offers lined up, Sam had a bright future ahead of him. Sighing, swearing to himself for the umpteenth time that he would forget about the man of his dreams, Sam opened the umbrella and stepped out into the torrential summer rain. 

He walked to his car, fiddling with the keys. Sam didn't see the man who was leaning against the Charger before he was standing right in front of him. 

Gabriel.

Sam just stood there, silent. He didn't know what to expect, but his heart certainly was busy, trying to jump out of his chest. Possibly to greet Gabriel. 

"It's raining," Gabriel said. "Do you have plans?"

Sam smiled so widely that his face felt as if it was curling all the way around his dimples. He knew he should ask questions, demand answers, but that could wait. "Getting somewhere dry and warm. I have a dinner to go to later. You have plans?"

"For tonight, no. Unless you invite me to be your plus one. For the future... I start my new job in a week. In Lawrence. Lawrence Memorial Hospital. After that, I'm hoping to use some time with this gorgeous guy I met some time ago; he's a lawyer now. He lives in Lawrence, too, or at least he did the last time I talked to him." 

Sam stared at Gabriel, speechless for a few seconds, before he regained his ability to form words. Gabriel had come to ask him out? To... see him more than once? Sam's mind had trouble catching up with reality. "How's that... you're a farm hand, and now you have a job at a hospital?" Sam shook his head, refusing to interrogate Gabriel. The questions came anyway, fueled by the long-simmering pain of loss and need. "Why are you here?" Sam threw a hand up since the other was occupied by his umbrella. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I don't understand. You can't just walk into my life like that, as if nothing has happened. It was one night, a great one. You didn't want to see me again when I asked, and-"

"As I said then: another time, another reality. We both had things to do. As for the job... I'm a neurosurgeon." Gabriel looked up at Sam, smiling. "Well, I'm a farm hand too. Was. Needed a break. Emergency medicine is frigging hard, so I worked a couple of years at the farm that you stranded at. It's my brother's farm—and I happen to like horses."

Sam blinked. This was certainly another reality, one that looked both surreal and very, very alluring. "You're a doctor? A medical doctor? As in the guy with the scalpel?"

"Yes. And close your mouth, dear, you'll look slightly more intelligent, and you won't swallow so much rain that way." Gabriel closed his umbrella and stepped under Sam's. He smiled at Sam with the flirty grin that had haunted Sam's dreams for months. Before Sam could react, Gabriel had his arm around his waist. "I had decisions to make at the time you met me. I was a mess. You, Sam... that night with you... it pulled me out of the dead water, so to speak. I found something I wanted, someone. I used the entire year on reacquainting myself with my qualifications, hoping that I had a chance with you when I was done putting my life back on track. I wanted a life with you. Dates. More, if you wanted it. So I decided that I'd go see you when we both had done what we had set out to do, to see if you were still interested. And today, gorgeous, that's when we've both done what we needed to do. So here I am, all yours, if you want me."

Slowly Sam leaned in, wanting badly to kiss Gabriel senseless. There were issues. There were things they needed to talk about. There were so much that needed to be considered before Sam could say yes. Only Gabriel's eyes met his, and Sam saw nothing but honesty there. "I thought of you. All the time," Sam said, stroking Gabriel's cheek. "You're incredible. In the good sense of the word. And the bad, too, now that I think of it."

"I know." Gabriel's smile faded. "I'm not exactly the catch of the year. But I mean it, Sam. I've dreamed about you, thought about you, fantasized about you and imagined all kinds of hot sex I'd like to have with you. Most of all, I missed you, and I hated that I missed an opportunity. I knew that I wanted you the moment I let you go. I simply wasn't in a place where I could offer you what I wanted to give you."

"And what's that, exactly?" Sam asked. "If there's any chance this is going to work-" Sam hesitated before he made up his mind, deciding that he could do 'cautious' when he was old and gray. "I don't want to play games," he said "But I want to know—before I ask you to go with me so that I can introduce my boyfriend to my family."

"Everything," Gabriel said and kissed Sam in the rain.


End file.
